A river run with Brett Preuett

Brett with a nice Ouachita River largemouth — caught in downtown Monroe Wednesday!

They say a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. While, for the most part, that may be true, Brett Preuett of Monroe says it isn’t as simple as it seems.

“If I have a bad day fishing, it’s pretty much a bad day at work, too,” says the young man who just finished his first year on the professional bass tournament circuit by qualifying for the prestigious BASSMasters Elite Tour for 2016. You can’t pay an entry fee to get there. You have to earn it along the treacherous BASS Open Trail. Only the best of the best make the Elites. “My office is the front deck of my boat.”

While that sounds great, too, it is work. Brett has been on the road for more than 40 days. He came home to regroup and  his off again headed to another tournament. That often means six or seven straight days of fishing no matter what the water, often on a lake he has never seen and then a day or two driving to do it all over again. But making the Elites was worth it, he says.

“Man, when the tournament director called me and told me I had made it, I was so pumped,” he says. “I am extremely blessed to be doing what I’m doing and even more blessed to have made it to the Elite level.

Some of Brett’s favorite Ouachita River lures

I was blessed to share the boat with Preuett for a day on the Ouachita River Wednesday. This time of year you don’t expect to be landing a bunch of big ones, but there are plenty of one and two pound fish. And no matter what bait they are biting, Preuett seems to have a couple of those lures in one of the massive compartments on his Nitro Bass Boat. Use of the boat, complete with a ULM logo wrap, was one of his prizes for winning the BASS College National Championship last year. Not bad to have a new Toyota truck to tow it with, either. It is what enabled the ULM student to get his start on the pro trail.

So how’s he doing? Well, for starters, he’s already qualified for and fished in the BASS Master Classic, the pinnacle of professional fishing. This year on the tournament trail, he’s had two top 12 finishes, something most bass fishermen can only dream of. And speaking of dreams.

“I still have dreams about winning the college championship and get as excited as I did the day it happened,” Preuett says. “I can’t deny that. I’m living the dream. Even when things get tough, I still realize how blessed I am. And when he misses a big fish, doesn’t make the cut on a tournament or his favorite lure gets lost in a treetop, he has a reminder around his neck that brings him back into focus. It was adversity that put Brett into fishing to begin with. He had a promising college career ahead of him as a baseball player, when suddenly at the end of his high school career, he suffered an injury that took the sight from his right eye.

“This necklace with a hook and a Cross remind me of who is really in charge of my life,” Preuett says. “No matter what, that’s the most important thing.”

So Brett, I asked, at any time during the past year have you thought about putting the boat on the trailer sand saying “Man, I wish I had an office job?”  He just grinned and made another cast at a laydown and brought a one-pounder to the boat.  Sometimes you don’t need words to give an answer.

Here’s the lowdown on Brett’s first year on the BASS pro trail:

You can follow Brett on FACEBOOK. This recent post on his page let’s you know who he really is. I hope you’l start following him and pulling for him on the tour! He makes this area proud!

“DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!  Where it all began at Lake Chatuge in Georgia where I won the Carhartt College Champion Brackett and along with that came the opportunity to fish the Bassmaster Classic and all 9 Bassmaster Opens. After the last Bassmaster Central Open and a 6th place finish I qualified to fish the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series!! This has been my dream, this is what I worked so hard for. All the blood, sweat, and tears. The thousands of hours spent on the water, watching videos, learning, listening, and doing whatever possible to be better I have made that giant leap into the Elite Series. I know there is just as much work ahead of me but I’m going to give all I have in my heart and soul to be better and be successful. First of all I have to give all the credit to God I know without being saved and without Him guiding me I would not be the person I am today!! It is amazing the things God does for people who believe. As my buddy Blake Deron writes in a song “Now my heart has changed. Thank you, Lord, for your amazing grace. And I’ll walk by faith.” I know without doubt God puts people in all our lives for a reason without the support from friends, families, and sponsors this would not have happened.

My Dad, both my grandpas, my mom, my stepdad Joe had me fishing since I was 2 or 3 years old I loved being on the water. Fishing with my buddies Chance, Corey, Cody, Ben, Taylor, Dustin and others in ponds and whatever we could is memories I want forget. Then it was my former Baseball coaches and club members from the Hook em bass club that really got me into tournaments. Chief Ellerman at ULM along with the founding Members and myself help start one of the best programs in College fishing that is now run by Ralph Swilly. Every single one of those guys will be lifelong friends including my partner Paul Clark that I won the FLW college championship with I had the honor of being his Best man. I’m so thankful for college fishing and the staff at the College Bassmaster series I have developed friendships and support that I will have for a lifetime.I want to mention every single one of the people’s name but I don’t quite want to be writing a book tonight lol But you know who you are always sending me Good luck and support. All my fellow anglers in the opens always giving a hand and being there for one another I couldn’t do it without yall. The guys from dynamic sponsorships and all my wonderful sponsors I couldn’t have done it without yall!! The staff and maintenance guys in the Bassmaster opens I couldn’t of done it without yall!! God puts people in our lives for a reason from my wonderful girlfriend Sarah to the college anglers to the open anglers to everybody at the Ouachita Parish Sheriff department and
to all my friends through baseball and nothing even to do with fishing God Bless yall and thank you!!”

God,Family,Fishing  @carhartt  @toyotausa  @nitro_boats  @mudholetackle  @cremelure_co_since_1949  @lowrancefishing  @rat.l.trap @dynamic_sponsorships  @treeshakertackle @Midstate @bassproshops @GetBitBaits

— Brett Preuett